some things i do

it has come to my attention that i say little to nothing of any importance on this blog. i plead guilty, but lets be serious

(1) most of the serious political/social/economic things i would say would be even more boring than what i already write, and
(2) a blog designed to stave off complaints of non-communication is not really an apt forum for them anyway

however, here is a word (many words) about what i do at work:

first, i helped design a national advocacy campaign for this 15 member disability rights organization. that means researching a bunch about disability in kenya (1 in 10 are disabled, 90% unemployed and in povery, less than 15% attend highschool, and then issues in specific areas like in kibera folks cant get around, in rural areas social stigma leads many families to hide disabled children, etc), identifying target groups and advocacy messages that might be useful in reaching them, and potential programs for raising awareness, lobbying, building networks. most of this comes out in written form (absurdly long memos that im sure few read) and meetings / workshops with kedan members. does this mean i spend a lot of time in front of really slow / prone-to-shut off computers when i could be working on the ground in kibera? yes. but its also probably the most helpful thing i do.

second, i write grant proposals. this is straightforward yet time consuming (but it does allow me to spend time in field asking abotu what sorts of things need to be done and participating in programs). also helpful. it has taught me that (1) being a competent writer and (2) being about to think in concrete, specific terms (Specific! Measurable! Acheivable! Realistic! Timely! SMART! redundant! written everywhere in advocacy manuals!) are very important. so far i have written two grant proposals for kedan members to do disability rights internships abroad and one for an advocacy grant to fight for disabled inclusion in hiv/aids care. you basically only get money if (1) you in some way deal with aids, and/or (2) you have a personal connection

third, i do press stuff where necessary

fourth, i do networking - basically meeting and contacting folks from other organizations and talking about what we do, what they do, and what we could do together. i feel like i might be better at this if i shaved and got a haircut, but its pretty easy anyway as long as your enthusiastic. for example right now im trying to get in contact with some church folks to start an inter-faith initiative to promote disability rights in the slums.

fifth, i do sports. mostly this involves playing and helping with wheelchair basketball or deaf volleyball. this is fun and draws a lot of youth towards kedan and activism stuff, so i like it.

so thats that. told ya it would be boring